Washing machine



July 28, 1925.

R. S. ROBE WASHING MACHINE Filed Dec. 13, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet lInventor.

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July 28, 1925. 1,547,266 R. S. ROBE WASHING MACHINE Filed Dec. 13. 19242 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig 3.

53\ 55 L i I i 49 50-. r j- 46 e3 5| I8 aO I?) as 25 InvenTor. Roben S.Robe byMMxW Patented July 28, 1925.

ROBERT S. ROBE, OI WATERTOWN, MASSACHUSETTS.

WASHING MACHINE.

Application filed December 18, 1924. Serial No. 755,646.

To a?! whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Ronnu'r S. ROBE, a citizen of the United States, andresident of \Vatertown, county of Middlesex, State of Massachusetts,have invented an Improvement in \Vashing Machines, of which thefollowing description, in connection with the accompanying drawing, is aspecification, like characters on the drawing repre senting like parts.

This invention relates to washing niachines and particularly to washingmachines that are designed to be used for laundry purposes.

One type of washing machine which 1s now in common use is provided withan oscillatory agitating member in the bottom of the clothes-receivingcompartment having one or more projections whereby the oscillatingmovement of the agitator agitates the clothes and also forces thewashing water back and forth through the clothes.

My present invention relates to a washing machine of this type and hasfor one of its objects to provide a novel washing machine which isequipped with the agitating member and which is so constructed that theclothes may be washed, rinsed, blued and wrung or brought to asemi-dried condition without removing them from the-clothesreceivingcompartment and without the necessity of handling them in any way.

This end is accomplished by employing an expansible and contractibleclothes receiving compartment which is provided with the agitatingmember and by further employing means to contract the chamber underrelatively high pressure thereby to force the washing Water therefromand subject the clothes to a sufficient pressure to bring them to thesemi-dried condition.

The apparatus is also arranged so that the expanding movement of theclothesreceiving compartment will operate to draw water thereinto and inusing the device the clothes to be washed are first placed in theclothes-receiving compartment and then the latter is expanded thusproducing suction therein which draws washing water into the compartmentfrom a suitable source of supply. When sutiicient washing water has beenthus introduced into the compartment the agitator is set in operationand the clothes are subjected to the washing operation. WVhen theclothes have been sufficiently washed the agitator is stopped and thechamber is contracted under relatively high pressure thus forcing thewashing Water out from the chamber and subjecting the clothes tosuilicient pressure to bring them to a semi-dried condition. If theclothes are to be rinsed then the chamber is again expanded to drawrinsing water thereinto and after they have been agitated for asufiicient length of time the chamber is again contracted to squeeze theclothes to asemi-dried condition. The same operation may be repeated ifit is desired to blue the clothes.

In order to give an understandin of the invention I have illustrated inthe drawings a selected embodiment thereof which will now be describedafter which the novel features will be pointed out in the appendedclaims.

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a washing machine embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the pump for expanding and contracting theclothes-receiving chamber, said view showing the controlling valve insection;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view showing the agitator in plan view;

Fig. {L is a fragmentary view showing the means for rendering theagitator operative or inoperative.

The clothes-receiving chamber is indicated at 1 and it is formed by astationary section 2 and a movable section 3, the movement of thesection 3 toward and from thesection 1 providing for the contraction andexpansion of the chamber 1. The fixed section :2 is shown as supportedon a suitable framework 4 and it may have any desirable shape. In theconstruction shown it is: semi-spherical but I wish to state that theinvention is not at all dependent upon the particular shape of themember 2. The movable section 3 is herein shown in the form of adiaphragm which is secured at its periphery to the peripheral portion ofa cover section 5 that is also herein illustrated as semispherical inshape, although its shape may be varied without departing from theinvention.

The cover section 5 and fixed section 2 are hinged together as shown at6 and since the movable wall 3 of the clothes-receiving compartment iscarried by the cover section the swinging of the cover section upwardlyon its pivot 6 will serve to open the clothesclothes-receivingcompartment.

receiving compartment to permit clothes to be placed in the compartment1 or removed therefrom.

When the machine is being used the cover section 5 is locked in itsclosed relation as shown in Fig. 1 thus making a closed For thus lockingthe cover closed I have shown a clamping member 7 which is pivoted tothe frame at 8 and which is provided with a clamping screw 9 adapted toengage a flange 10 on the cover section 5. A. suitable gasket 11 willpreferably be, employed between the cover section and the fixed section2 for the purpose of making a tight joint when the cover is locked.

The agitator member is indicated at 12 and preferably forms a section ofthe wall of the chamber 1 which is mounted for oscillatory movement andwhich is provided with a fin or flange 13 rising therefrom whichoperates during the oscillatory movement of the member 12 to agitate theclothes and to force the washing water back and forth through them.

The section 2 of the chamber is formed with an extension 14 directlybeneath the agitator member 12, said extension providing a chamber 15which communicates with the clothes-receiving chamber 1 throughapertures 16 formed in the agitator member. This chamber 12 has a pipeconnection 17 connected thereto through which washing water may beintroduced into the compartment 1 or discharged therefrom as will bepresently described.

Any suitable means for oscillating the agitator member 12 may beemployed. In the construction herein shown said member 12 has a shaft 18depending therefrom which extends through the chamber 15 and extension14 and is provided on its end with a pinion 19 which is adapted to meshwith a rack 20. This rack has a reciprocating motion which is derivedfrom a motor 21, the shaft 22 of the latter being geared to a verticalshaft 23 through suitable worm gearing 24 and the shaft 23 carrying atits upper end a crank disk 25 having a crank pin 26 to which the end ofthe rack is connected. The rotation of the crank disk thus reciprocatesthe rack 20 and pro: duces the oscillatory movement of the agitator 12.

The pipe 17 may convenientl be a flexible pipe or hose so that the en 27thereof may be introduced into a set tub 28 or any other containeradapted to contain washing water. The introduction of washing water intothe chamber 1 is accomplished by moving the wall 3 thereof upwardlythereby expanding the chamber and producing suction therein which willoperate to draw the washing water from the container 28 through the pipe17 into the compartment 1. The discharge of the wash ing water from thechamber 1 is secured by moving the wall 3 downwardly thereby to contractthe chamber and if during thismovement the wall is subjected toconsiderable pressure the washing water will not only be forced from thecompartment 1 but the clothes will be squeezed sufliciently to bringthem to a semi-dried condition.

In the present embodiment of the invention the contracting movement ofthe compartment 1 is accomplished by pumping water or some other fluidinto the space 30 between the cover section 5 and the diaphragm 3, thisoperation forcing the diaphragm or wall downwardly thereby contractingthe chamber 1. The expansion of the chamber is accomplished by thereverse operation of pumping the liquid out of the chamber 30 thereby toproduce a suction therein which will draw the diaphragm or wall 3upwardly. While this transfer of fluid into and out of the chamber 3 maybe accomplished in various ways without departing from the invention Ihave herein shown for this purpose a pump which may be operated from themotor 21. Such a pump is indicated at 31 and it may have any appropriateconstruction, it having an inlet port 42 and a discharge port 43. Themovable element of the pump is connected by a link 32 to a crank pin 33on a crank disk 34 that is fast on a shaft section 35 which may becoupled to the motor shaft by a suitable clutch 36.

37 indicates a controlling handle by which the clutch can be operated.The clutch 36 and the controlling handle 37 constitute a control deviceby which the pressure which is developed in the chamber 30 can becontrolled. In operating the device the clutch 36 will be thrown out ofengagement whenever the desired pressure in the chamber 30 is reached.

This pump 31 is used for both pumping fluid into the chamber 30 andwithdrawing it therefrom. Said chamber 30 is connected to the pump by apipe connection 39 and another pipe connection 40 is employed leadingfrom the pump to a suitable receptacle 41 containing water or somerelatively non-compressible fluid.

For reversing the action of the pump I propose to employ a reversingvalve 38 by means of which the inlet 42 of the pump may be connectedwith either the pipe 40 or the pipe 39, the discharge port beingconnected to the other pipe. The valve 38 is provided witha turnableported plug 144 and when this plug is set, as shown in Fig. 2, the inlet42 of the pump is connected to the pipe 40 through the port 44 while thedischarge 43 of the pump is connected to the pipe 39 through the port45.

When the valve is reversed then the inlet Iii-U port 42 of the pump isconnected with the pipe 39 through the valve port 46 while the dischargeport of the pump is connected with the pipe 40 through the valve port47. lVith the valve arranged as shown in Fig. 2 the pump will operate tosuck water or other fluid from the tank 40 and pump it into the chamber30 thereby forcing the wall or diaphragm 3 downwardly and contractingthe chamber 1. When the valve is reversed, however, the pump willwithdraw water fromthe chamber 30 and deliver it back into thereceptacle 41 again. 7

The pump is constructed to deliver water to the chamber 30 under asufficiently high pressure to squeeze the clothes to a semidriedcondition.

The means for operating the agitator is constructed so that it can berendered inoperative at the time that the clothes-receiving chamber isbeing expanded or contracted. This is accomplished by providing meansfor throwing the rack 20 into or out of mesh with the pinionl9.

The rack 20 reciprocates in a. guide member 48 which is backed by anexpanding spring 49 that tends to move the rack toward and into meshwith the pinion 19. For disconnecting the rack from the pinion I providemeans for shifting the guide mem v ber away from the pinion into thedotted line position Fig. 4, this movement carrying the rack out of meshwith the pinion.

The guide member has an arm 50 pivotally connected thereto at 51, saidarm being fast on a vertical rock shaft 52 which is journalled in thebearings in the frame. The upper end of the rock shaft has fast thereonan arm 53 which is connected to an eccentric sleeve 54 surrounding aneccentric 55 that is mounted on a stud or pin 56 carried by the frame.This eccentric has a handle 57 by which it may be turned.

The turning of the eccentric from the full to the dotted line positionactuates the rock shaft 52 and thereby swings the arm 50 intothe dottedline position against the action of the spring 49 which will withdrawthe rack from its intermeshing engagement with the pinion. lVhen theeccentric is in the full line position the rack is held in mesh with thepinion 19 through the action of the spring 49.

In the operation of the device the cover 5 is first raised and theclothes to be washed are introduced into the chamber 1 after which thecover 5 is closed and locked in place. The hose 17 is then connected tothe container 28 containing washing water and the clutch 36 is throwninto engagement thereby to operate the pump 31.

The valve 38 is adjusted so that the pump will force water into thechamber 30 and thereby contracting the clothes-receiving compartment 1,which operation will force the air out of the con'lpartment. The valve38 is then reversed and the pumpwill operate to draw water outof thecompartment 30 thus expanding the clothes-receiving compartment 1 andthis expansion will draw washing water from the container 28 into saidcompartment through the hose pipe 17. During this operation the rack 20is disengaged from the pinion 19 and the agitator is, therefore,inactive.

When sufficient Water has been drawn into the compartment 1 then theclutch 36 is disengaged so as to stop the action of the pump and theagitator is started up by throwing the continuously-recip-rocating rackinto engagement with the pinion 19. The action of the agitator resultsin agitating the clothes and forcing thewater through them thusaccomplishing the washing operation. When i the clothes have beensufficiently washed the agitator is stopped by disconnecting the rack 20from the inion 19, the pump is set in operation and the valve 38 soadjusted as to cause water to be pumped intothe chamber 30 which willresult in contracting the clothes-receiving compartment 1 and forcingthe washing water out of it and also subjecting the clothes toconsiderable pressure. The pipe connection 17 may then be connected toanother container containing rinsing water and the action of the pumpagain reversed thereby causing the chamber 1 to expand. This will resultin drawing the rinsing water into the clothes-receiving compartment andwhen sufficient amount of rinsing water has been thus introduced thepump is stopped and the agitator is again set in motion to agitate theclothes for the rinsing operation. After the clothes have beensufficiently rinsed the agitator is stopped and the chamber 1 is againcontracted to force the rinsing water out from it and to again compressthe clothes.

If a blueing operation is desired the above-described steps arerepeated.

At the end of the rinsing or bl-ueing operation the clothes aresubjected to the relatively high pressure by the contracting action ofthe compartment 1 which expresses most of the water therefrom and leavesthem in a semi-dried condition and ready to be hung out on the line.

water into the clothes-receiving compartment, washing the clothes,discharging the water from the com artment and bringing the clothes to asemi-dried condition ready to be hung on the line is accomplishedwithout any manual labor in the way of handling the clothes or water.

I claim:

1. In a washing machine, the combination with an expansible andcontractible clothesreceiving chamber having a port through whichwashing water is discharged, of means It will thus be seen that theentire operation of introducing the to agitate the clothes in saidchamber, and means to contract said chamber thereby to force the washingwater therefrom and subject the clothes to suflicient pressure to bringthem to a semi-dried condition.

2. In a washing machine, the combination with an expansible andcontractible chamber, of a pipe connected to said chamber, means toexpand said chamber thereby to draw washing water thereinto through thepipe and to contract said chamber thereby to force said water therefrom,and means to agitate the clothes in the chamber.

3. In washing machine, the combination with an expansible andeontractible chamber to receive the clothes to be washed, of means toagitate the clothes in said chamber, a pipe connected to said chamber,means to expand said chamber thereb Y to draw washing Water thereintothrough the pipe and to contract said chamber thereby to force thewashing water from the chamber, said means including a. control deviceby which the pressure with which said chamber is contracted may bevaried.

4:. In a washing machine, the combination with an expansible andcontractible clothes receiving compartment, of an oscillatory agitatorfor agitating the clothes in said compartment, actuating means tooscillate the agitator, means to render said actuating means operativeor inoperative, and means to contract said chamber thereby to forcewashing Water therefrom.

5. In a washing machine, the combination with an expansible andcontractible clothesreceiving compartment, of an oscillatory agitatorfor agitating the clothes. in said compartment, actuating means tooscillate the agitator, means to render said L means operative orinoperative, mes" s to contract said chamber, and a, controi deviceforregulating the degree of pressure with which said chamber iscontracted.

6. In a washing machine, the combination with a casing, of a diaphragmextending across the same, the space on one side of the diaphragmconstituting a clothes-receiving compartment, means for forcing a fluidinto the space on the other side of the diaphragm or to withdraw ittherefrom thereby to contractor expand the clothes-receivingcompartment, and means to agitate the clothes in the clothes-receivingcompartment.

7 In a washing machine, the combination with a casing, of a diaphragmextending across the same, the space on one side of said diaphragmconstituting a clothes-receiving compartment and having apipe connectedthereto, means to pump a fiuid into and out of the chamber on tht otherside of said diaphragm, whereby the clothes-receiving compartment iscontracted and expanded, and an oscillatory agitator for agitating theclothes in the clothes-receiving compartment.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

ROBERT S. ROBE.

